St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-09-01
WHERE THE LAW is WEAK.

An intoxicated man in Middlebury
fell off his wagon the other day and
was killed, whereupOn the Register
says, "the business of selling rum in
this community must be largely cur
tailed" The Rural VermOnter copies
the Registers manifesto and remarks,
"there is law enough to crush every
liquor dealer in the state" and "any
man may wing the bolt that shall
smite the liquor seller" The st. AL
bans Messenger-referri to the ex-
ecutiOn of the temperance law there
does not understand that the Franklin
county states attorney "has refused to
execute papers against violatOrs of the
prOhibitory law in ST. Adams, placed
in his hands. If he was very much in
earnest in the enforcement of the law,
and regarded his duties the same as re-
lating to theft, robbery, ETC., he would
make out his own papers and move of
his own accord. He takes the ground
in the matter that he is to be found
in his Office in the court house, where
those desiring to see him will find him."
The above three extracts illustrate
some phases of the prohibitory law and
the way it is executed Tor evaded) in
this state. One set of temperance men
want the liquor traffic "curtailed.' 1t
is inferred by this that they are willing
men should drink moderately but they
must not drink so as to get drunk and
fall off their wagons. Another sclass
of men want every citizen to be a
swift witness against the traffic and to
be in effect the laws executiOner. An
other body of citizens seem to think
that each county elects a states attOr-
ney and sheriff for the express purpose
of executing law against law breakers !;
that they accept their offices for such
purposes and are paid for that service,
and that farmers, merchants and me-
chanics, who get their living by their
occupations have no more to do with
enforcing the law against rumselling
than they have with enforcing the law
against burglary.
We infer the Franklin county attor-
ney takes the view of the prOhibitOry
law spoken of second, namely, that it
is the business of the temperance peO-
pie of each community to see that the
law is executed. So he cOolly annOun-
ces that he will be found at his Office
during business hours and if any body
wishes the law executed against Of
tenders all they will have to do is to
leave their business and call upon him,
make affidavit possibly that they be-
lieve certain ones are breaking the
law, then he will proceed against them.
The Franklin county official is not
alone in this construction of what his
duties are. Every states attorney in
this state for the past ten years, who
is afraid of the liquor sellers influence,
has done the same thing. Now the
states attorney and sheriff of each
county know or should know who the
law breakers are better than any pri
vate individual, and it is their duty to
prosecute without waiting for individ-
uals to complain. They are elected
and paid for this very purpose. Just
here is where Vermont's prOhibitory
law is weak. There should be a pen
atty affixed for the neglect of states
attorneys to execute the law. When
there are such notorious evasiOns as
have occurred time and again in this
state the governor should have the
power to impeach and depose the neg
ligent officer and appoint his successor.
We reckon a little heroic treatment of
this kind would not only put an end to
the officer advertising his "business
hours" but would tend to make him
more vigilant at all hours.